Pulau Belambangan is one of the nesting habitats for green turtles and hawksbill turtles in the Berau Islands, Berau Regency. In general, it is still fully covered by forest with an elevation of approximately 3 meters above sea level.
Pulau Belambangan is one of the remote islands in the Berau Waters. Its natural condition remains pristine, forested, and uninhabited by people.
Its location, far from the city (170 km from the capital of Berau), makes the implementation of turtle protection programs there very costly and difficult. However, YPI believes that the natural state of this island must be preserved, so the activities of YPI there should not “disturb” the island too much by:
- Not using sand from Pulau Belambangan to build structures
- Not cutting down trees there to make space for YPI’s monitoring post building
- Transporting all non-recyclable waste, such as metal or glass, out of Pulau Belambangan
- Using biogas toilets to ensure waste does not pollute the groundwater
Example of a portable WC in one of the turtle protection camps in Cape Verde, Africa, owned by Fundacao Tartaruga
The waste from the toilet will be collected in a portable biogas reactor made of flexible plastic-rubber materials. This reactor is highly portable, so when not in use, it can be rolled up. The waste from this reactor consists of two types: black water and sludge. Both are very eco-friendly and can be used as fertilizer for plants. This portable biogas concept mimics the hygienic waste disposal system implemented in turtle protection camps owned by Fundacao Tartaruga in Cape Verde, Africa.
